NESTLED between Waiyavi Creek in Lautoka, and the hum of modest living lies what was once a proud football field.
A hive of energy where sport lovers poured their hearts into the game, the ground now sits idle.
Grass, scrub, and even a cassava patch have taken over, burying the footprints of Lautoka’s finest — and some of Fiji’s best footballers.
For Abhimanu Narayan, a former Waiyavi Brothers player and longtime resident the decline interest in the sport is heartbreaking.
He remembers when football was the soul of the community.
“Today, it is no longer even a pastime,” he told Sportsone. “That’s the sad reality.”
Narayan worries for the area’s youth, many of whom have walked away from the sport entirely. Yet he recalls with pride the names the field once produced.
“The field gave us players like Ashwin Kumar and Dev Anand, who rose to district and national stardom in the mid-70s and early 80s.
“Then came Benjamin Franklyn, the Sharma brothers — Anil and Satish — followed by Simon Anand, Anand Rao, Bobby Lateef, Abdul Habib, and Rakesh Kumar,” he said. “All of them went on to represent Lautoka at senior or U19 level.”
The man who kept football alive
Narayan credits much of Waiyavi’s footballing culture to one man: Mahesh Prasad, affectionately known as Bhai.
“Bhai Mahesh kept football alive for more than a decade. He bought boots and uniforms for players, just to inspire the young ones. His untimely death was the death of Waiyavi football,” Narayan said.
Prasad was also a close friend of Lautoka and Fiji football great Kelemedi “Cheetah” Vosuga, whom he often invited to mentor the youths.
“Cheeta was a constant source of motivation, always passing on knowledge of the game,” Narayan added.
Breeding grounds
From the early 1960s to the 2000s, Waiyavi and nearby Topline were breeding grounds for Lautoka footballers.
But with the district’s shift toward semi-professional football and the introduction of the Fiji FA transfer window, community interest slowly faded.
The field that once united generations now lies silent — a forgotten stage of passion, pride, and promise.
